Exclamation!

Today was a photographer's dream come true. On the way home form school, Callie Sheehan told me that she and Allison went on a walk through the woods behind the park on Cypresswood and saw a couch. My immediate reaction was, "What a cool idea for a photo shoot!" But, it was seriously better than I imagined. I got Erin and Marissa to accompany me and to sit on the couch for the pictures. We set off on the trail in search of the elusive couch, and we discover all these trails that go along the tops of hills, which was really, really exciting. When we get to the top of one, I look down into the creek to see that the couch is actually halfway in the water on the opposite bank from us. Twenty minutes and two bridges later we are at the couch. And it was as if God had placed the couch in the perfect position and the sun at just the right angle to make it look like the couch was perched on a stream in Rivendell. It was amazing. I took some photos with my aforementioned Holga camera and my 2 mega-pixel phone camera and then called my dad to bring me my digital camera. By the time he got to us the sunlight wasn't good anymore, so we're going to try again later. But it was so cool! I'm very excited to develop the film tomorrow and see how they turn out!

Photography

behold!

I am loving the medium format holga camera right now.

No batteries. Minimal focusing, hardly any worrying about SS

and F-stop. This one has a flash, but mine doesn't.

Bliss!

The Kiss - Robert Doisneau

from Roadside Ghosts - Dave Anderson

(medium format = mmhmm)

Jerry Uelsmann in general

(I'm pretty sure he's magic)

His photography is extremely

well done, but some of them contain

objectionable material, so I'm sorry

in advance.

On a different note, I convinced my english teacher to let me read The Great Divorce in conjunction with The Inferno! What a great day it is when I can read Lewis for English class.

Small Update.

LOST is back. The second semester has officially begun.

Spicy!

I'm eating a red hot, but I don't know why, because I don't like red hots...

Furthermore, I have sharpie on my hand, and I think that it has transferred to the side of my face. There are so many things that I've been thinking about lately, and I don't know how to put any of them into words as well as I would like to. I want to tell people things, and I don't know how to go about it. This red hot isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Remember that old lame myspace thing where you write things down about people and then number them so that people have to guess if it's about them or not? I hate those, because I'll se negative things and wonder if they are about me. It's annoying, but I feel like I want to do one of those things right now, but I'll leave out all the guessing...

Marissa, I've been reading all of your blogs. Just so you know. I enjoy reading them and I want you to know that I think that you don't give yourself enough credit. I think that you are a very interesting person and I enjoy your company a lot. Marie, I also have been reading all of your blogs (and for some reason am now going to eat another red hot) and I am so glad that you are coming back to Texas! I was kind of hoping you would since we just actually became friends over the summer. Erin, I love being your boyfriend, just in case I haven't told you enough, and am so looking forward to your birthday and going to LaserQuest on Valentines Day! I really can't imagine dating anyone else. Lindsay, I feel bad for winning the T-shirt contest, probably because I don't like making you feel bad, you're one of the most fun people I know. Riley, it seems like we haven't talked to one another since school started. I feel like I have to try really hard to get anything out of you. You are so distracted by school and stuff. (aka, why I recommended not taking American Studies. It's a life sucker.) Why am I writing all this? I don't know. I guess I'm relieving some of the nonsense bouncing around around in my head. Molly, I feel really bad afterward when I get fed up with you and yell. I'm sorry. I wish that wasn't the first thing to come to your mind when we mention problems with people working together in the bands. I do think you are possibly the most naturally musically talented person I know and I enjoy working with you. Callie, I am so thankful you joined JLT this year, it's been really wonderful working with you, you have a beautiful voice and more talent than you give yourself credit for. The CD you recorded is amazing. Thanks for giving me a copy. Taylor, I do not know what I would have done if you didn't rejoin the band last year. I completely need our remedial chats after practice last year. Remember that one time you, Riley and I went to Starbucks? That was (slightly unrelated, but) wonderful. I'm glad you and I think similarly, it has given me some confidence that I otherwise wouldn't have had last year when we (for all intensive purposes) didn't have a leader. Speaking of which, Robby, you are possibly the best thing to happen to our band. You have taught us so many things and helped us come a very long way from the first time your heard us play. Tyler, I'm glad you're in the band this year, otherwise I would still think of you like I did when we were all in junior high. (I'm going to eat another red hot, I think I night be addicted now...) Trey, we really need to get together to work on that Narnia song, I really like how it's gone so far. Also, thanks for inviting me to be a part of shindig this year, it's been really good for me, and I'm getting a lot out of it.

I had a dream about a month ago in which my mom died, it was horrible, I don't remember the dream, I just remember sobbing after whatever happened happened in the dream, and then waking up and sobbing for real. I stayed like that for like 10 minutes and then went back to sleep. I haven't told my mom because I don't know how I would (does she read my blog? I guess I'll find out soon) but I went up to her and my dad the next morning and gave them really long hugs because I'm so thankful for them. I don't know what I'd do without them. Speaking of which, Marie, I'm going to read A Grief Observed soon, because I've been meaning to and you said it is so good. I'm praying for you, Marie, which reminds me, if anyone has anything they would like prayer for, feel free to ask, because I would love to pray for you.

Whew, this is becoming quite long, I apologize! (Red hot time, again.) I've been so nostalgic lately. For kids camp. For junior high camp. For high school camp. I'm really ready for this weekend, because as much as Jeremy and Darren are pushing this as a non-christian-oriented weekend, I really need a refocusing time. Hopefully I will be able to do the whole re-focusing thing on my own time when I lose the necessity of having retreats and camps to go to. Maybe that is why I keep hearing of 249 alumni not faring so well? I don't know. I keep telling myself that I will be better than the old 249ers that went off and made bad decisions, and I have no idea how I could stray from Christianity, but I'm sure I have no idea what will push against my faith in the coming years. I hope and pray that I can stay faithful and thankful and loving to God. God did, after all choose the foolish things to shame the wise and the small things to shame the strong. I guess it's good, then, that I'm not particularly wise or strong... (btw, I probably just completely missed the actual purpose of that verse. It's more like, we're all nothing before God, we have nothing to boast for except the redemption of Christ.)

(I am now going to eat another red hot, thank you, Ben and Erika, for introducing me to the joy that is red hots!)

Lately (as in the past year and a half) I've been painting/drawing sunrises/sunsets on almost everything that I've created for art class or in my sketchbook. I can think of 5 at least. And I've also been painting a lot of landscapes, which is weird for me because I am more of a design person than a realism person. I guess I'm going through a phase or something. But I really think it's deeper than just happening to draw landscapes and stuff for fun. I would like to think of it as what one of the angels says to the artist in The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis. As the artist expresses to the angel how much he desires to paint the wonders of heaven that he is seeing, the angel replies: "When you painted on earth--at least in your earlier days--it was because you caught glimpses of Heaven in the earthly landscape. The success of your painting was that it enables others o see the glimpses too," and later tells the artist "Light itself was your first love: you loved paint only as a means of telling about light." Ah! I've just been distracted. I suggest reading The Great Divorce if you haven't, and re-reading it if you have. What a wonderful book. It is to my great dismay that the artist goes back to hell after his conversation with the angel is over. Probably because I see a bit of myself in him. The angel tells his that everyone is famous and known in heaven, but also equal and everyone is like "light and mirrors" reflecting the light of God. When the artist asks him if he could meet Cezanne, or some other famous artist the angel tells him that he doesn't know if they are in heaven for that reason and he doesn't deal well with that.

Well, now it's time for bed. If you read this whole blog you deserve a red hot. Ask me if I have any next time you see me and I probably will, since I now love them.

Blathering over,

(for now)

Zach

Whirlwind morning

So, on the coattails of recovering from vomiting all over the place on Friday, this morning was very interesting. Though I felt great last night, this morning my stomach was not cooperating. I attribute this to several random factors:

1. Diet Coke has caffeine; caffeine = no sleep. Last night I went to Burger King with Erin, AJ, Melanie, and Marissa and had cheesy-tots (food for the gods, forget nectar and ambrosia) I stayed awake in bed last night until I don't know how late, but somewhere in there I came to the realization that I didn't even consider the caffeine content of diet coke, which I now horribly regret.

2. Waking up at 7:00 am. The only time I wake up early happily is on Sunday. But this, coupled with the lack of going to bed early, yields bad results.

3. Work and stress. JLT (Just Like Thomas, which is the name of the band I'm in at hwy 249) was alerted in the middle of the week this week that we were switching back to the JH side a week early to accommodate a new, month-based, system of switching sides (which I don't understand why) instead of the old system where we switched every four weeks. This means that we, with no real access to the 249 buildings during the week, must move all of our instruments and other nonsense at 7:30 in the morning, set it all up, have a soundcheck, and practice our set for the day. This leads to all of us with short fuses and negative-leaning attitudes, and...there was no air conditioner in the junior high side while this was going on.

4. Singing. Singing uses diaphragm muscles and this caused my stomach discomfort, I found somewhere to lay down during the first service.

With all that said, Robby was out today with the stomach flu, Tyler was out with strep throat, and Allison was having abdominal pain. But, despite all this, the set went very well. Through what I can only attribute to the protection and grace of God, we all made it: I didn't have to run off the stage to barf, there were no major mishaps in the songs, and the junior-highers were paying attention. 

Thank you, God!

In other Sunday news, the simple musical part of the adult worship service where shawn and kristi myers sang together and shawn played piano was fantastic. It was a simplicity that was so sincere. It was a great. I was really sad that my stomach was distracting me. :(

Somewhere Picturesque

striking blue

a faint grey line

then white, too

then purple, divine

gold and green

intermingled

again, blue

thin, single

the landscape stretches

across my view

forever in either direction

I could run for a day or two

and not reach another section

fie;d, stretching

shining stream,

a stirring country

perfect, a dream

color leaps and bounds today

away and back

all over, parade

while still and quiet

unheard music plays

blown along through the field

a dry fragrance throughout the day

the music of living things

growth and praise

praise to the Creator in every way!

the solar lamp magnifies

edges of the mountains rise

not a cloud overhead flies

it is a feast for humble eyes

Metaphors

I'm a mirror in disguise

My clothes and skin are all a guise

Despite how I look I will continue to reflect

What goes on around me is what I project.

I am a magnet, but no one knows

Think what you might, it's probably a show

Opposites attract, moon chases the sun

But that works in more ways than one

I am a billboard wrapped around bones

Feast your eyes, I'm not alone

New! Buy! Fancy! Stuff! Look at me!

This is the way that leads to misery.

I should be a window, clear and clean

I, transparent, the other side is to be seen

Someone else more existent to be seen though

I shouldn't be noticed, there's something bigger to look to.

The Secret Life of Friends

So, apparently everybody is capable of being way more deep, funny, and personal than I was aware of (no offense), and feels the need to share it with the whole entire world of the internet. I have no problem with sharing, but I do lament the fact that I've learned more about all of my friends in the last five minutes reading their blogs than I've actually talked about with them in the last five months. I guess that means, then: Here's to impersonally discussing all of life's problems and joys through the wonder of blogging.

But seriously, 

I want to talk to you in person.